Livier



1. E. OLLIVIER.

PROPELLER MECHANISM. APPLICATION Hugo M^Y1.191a.

anota, S

I. E. OLLIVIER.

PROPELLER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION ymen mm1. 191s.

L 2. 92 1T .E. 1H 1A .n ma Ow d3 .w m a D...

Gnomi, 5

J. E. OLLIVIER.

PROPELLER MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 7. 1915.

1,393,157. Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ya, ym-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOCELYN EMILE OLLIVIER, OF LA VIGNETTE, ST. GERVAIS LES BAINS, FRANCE.

PROPELLER MECHANISM.

Application led May 7, 1918.

Specication of ietters Patent.

Patented Oct. 11, 1921.

Serial No. 233,136.

(GRANTED UNDER THE PROVISIONS 0F THE ACT OF MARCH 3, 1921, 41 STAT. Il., 1313.)

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that JoonLYN EMILE OL- Lrvma, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at La Vignette, St. Gervais les Bains, country of France, has invented new and useful Improvements in Propeller Mechanism, (for which I have filed applications in France, December 6, 1916, March 19, 1917, June 29, 1917, and November` 6, 1917 and in England, March 11, 1918, Patent No. 130677,) of which the following is a speciiication. i

This invention relates to tractors, and has particular reference to propelling mechanism therefor of the type wherein an endless track which travels over the surface of the ground and track-bearing members for maintaining the lower portion of or run of the track in Contact with the surface of the ground are employed.

The present invention has as its main purpose' to provide a propelling mechanism of this type wherein all of the track-bearing members will bear upon that portion of the track in contact, at any given instant, with the ground with equal pressure whatever may be the nature of the ground, so as to 'obtain proper adherence or traction between the endless track and the surface traversed, and to eliminate, or at least minimize, all shocks or excessive strains which otherwise might prove injurious to the propelling device.

The present invention contemplates, broadly, a propelling mechanism of the type having an endless track, successive portions of which come into Contact with the ground, track bearing members forming a guide rail, which bearing members maintain the track in Contact with the ground and travel upon the endless track as the latter is laid, and means comprising, in the present instance, a fluid body in coperative relation with all of said track-bearing members for maintaining all of said members with equal pressure against the endless track irrespective of Aany qualities or undulations in the surface of the' ground traversed.

In the following specification, I have described in detail, and in the accompanying drawings have shown several embodiments of my invention and changes which may be made therein, but it is to be understood that the Vpresent disclosure is illustrative only and is in no way restrictive of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side view of one embodiment of my improved propelling mechanism,

Fig. 9. is a transverse sectional view of the propelling mechanism shown in Fig. 1 and taken on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal view, partly in section, of a propelling mechanism in which the fluid body is housed in a rigid casing,

Fig. 4l is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view of another embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken transversely through Fig. 5.

In the drawings like numerals represent like parts in the several views.

In the present illustrative disclosure of my invention I have shown the bearing members for the endless track, designated by the character A, as comprising rollers B, which rollers are in alinement with each other so as to form a sectional bed or rail which guides the lower run of the endless track A, and which at the same time roll over the track as the vehicle advances. The means for equalizing pressure with which the several track-bearing members B maintain the track A in contact with the surface of the ground, comprises, in the present instance, a body fluid designated generally b v the letter C.

The track-bearing members may be of any suitable form or construction and may be connected to the propeller frame and interposed between the fluid body and the track in any suitable manner, and the endless track itself may be of any desired construc tion. The body fluid may be confined in any suitable manner and if desired, more than one ybody of fluid may be employed.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the frame of the propelling device is disclosed as comprising two parallel sills or beams designated by the numeral 30, these beams curving upwardly at their forward ends to permit the endless track to come into contact with the ground at a slight angle and so that the vehicle may ride over a rise or obstruction in its path.

'lhe frame may be connected to the vehicle in any suitable manner, but by v' illustration I have shown 'for this ma cross bars 3l which are attached at one end to the chassis of a vehicle (not shown) and. at their outer end pass beneath and are secured to the sills 30. it is, of course, understood two propelling mechanisms are usually employed for each vehicle.

Each of the track-bearing rollers Figs. l and 2 are shown as being rotatably carried in the lower ends of a pair arms 32 pivotally connected at their u; to the sills 30 by means o' pins tween the arms 32 of each pair is a stirrup or inverted U-sha-ped member having its lower ends hingedly connected to the arms 32, intermediate the ends of the lat by means of' the pins 35. Each oi the sllrrups carry a plate 36 which bears against the fluid body C. In the present instance, the body of fluid is confined within :in elonouted flexible envelop 37 which may be fori ed of double rubberized fabric and i'illed wim air under pressure. Any suitable fluid may be used. A valve 38 may be provided lor the purpose of inflation and, ofi course, the vehicle or propelling device my carry compressed air reservoir for inflating the bag or envelop.

To prevent the fluid bodv from bulging bodily upwardly, when strain is exerted thereon by upward pressure on the li, a plate 39 is positioned immediately above the envelop 37. To vary the size of the space between the plate 39 and the plates the plate 39 is arranged to be adjusted AWertically with respect to the frame or sill 130. and for this purpose any desired. 'form mechanism may be employed. In the present instance, the plate 39 has an upwardly extending threaded rod 40 on which threaded a nut carrying a worin r 4l located between a plate 42 and an arch cai ried by the plate 412. The plate ad justably connected to the chassis the velu-- chassis and serve to support the hier load. Coperating with the gear worm 45, and when the latter ro plate 39 will move vertically. lf j A,2i-ed, the worin 45 may be connected up ieans of a suitable transmission mechanism to the source oi power of the vehicl To maintain the plate 49 in proper position over the fluid body C, the plate has upwardl ing guide pins 46 working in openings the fixed plate 42.

To limit downward track-bearing members or rollers 1?-, or strip 47 is provided, this strip being connected at its ropposite ends to the plate and'passes beneath the resilient body and the -cross members of each of the stirrups n iii movement of' the a bar .Y io prevent the rollers from suddenly dropping' onto the Itrack when the device is 1iassing over unusually rough ground.

'I he endless track A shown in Figs. l and 2 may be formed roln an ordinary endless chain with shoes 49 connected across its links to assure adherence with the surface or' the road traversed. rlhe endless track passes in a vertical plane entirely about the j 'yelling device and to guide the upper run of the track guide rollers 5() and 5l, 'ed at opposite ends of the plate 39, are To hold the upper run of the taut these rollers are yieldingly maintained against the chain by springs 52 and respectively. The rollers guiding the upper run of the endless track may vary in nuinber and may be pivotally connected as is the roller 50, or slidably carried as is the roller The endless track A may be caused to be moved about the propelling' device in any approved manner, but, preferably, one or more of the track-bearing rollers may be po.' ively driven.

ln F i g. l, the pinions 54 are driven, these pinions having radially extending teeth 55 'which 'tit between the links of the endless h/lounted upon the spindles or shafts :5G to which the pinions 54 are fixed, are icicct wheels 5T, and fixed to the drive s which are in axial alinement with the pivots are driven sprocket wheels 59. lY sing about the sprocket 57 and 59 are precl-:et chains 60. It desired, the shaft 58 rf." the rear driving mechanism may be emte drive the device forwardly, and the i nt pinion may be employed to drive nie device rearwardly, but, of course, this is optional.

if pr rred, the foremost roller B may bc aintained against 'vertical movement, and this is desirable on certain kinds of ron ds.

The operation of the propelling device shown in Figs. l and 2 will be readily understood from their foregoing description. The pinions 54 are driven to cause the track to travel about the propelling device, and as the device advances successive portions of the track are laid and the rollers B travel over the track. The rollers are maintained in Contact with the track by means of the fluid body C. In the event that the fluid employed is a gas, such as air, which has a. tendency to expand indefinitely, the rollers are maintained elastically or resiliently against the track. It the surface of the ground traversed is level and has no qualities, the upward pressure upon they trackbearing members which enga e that portion of the track which is at that Instant, in 'contact with the ground, have their plates 36 bearing with equal and unvarying pressure against the fluid body. In the event the device passes over a rise or undulation, the rollers are successively forced upwardly and, therefore, the plate of that roller which is passing over the rise initially bears with greater pressure against the fluid body than the plates 36 of the remaining bearing members, and will sink into the fluid body. However, due to the principle of the so-called transmissability of fluid pressure, the pressure ap lied to any area of the surface of the con ned fluid body will become equally felt over every other equal area of the surface. Therefore, in the present instance, the pressure exerted by one of the plates against the fluid body C will be immediately transmitted to each of the other plates in contact therewith, and as the roller members B have movement relatively to the frame each of these members are caused to press with like pressure against the chain. hus the pressure upon the chain is equally distributed and that portion of the chain in contact with the ground bears with equal pressure throughout its length against the ground irrespective of inequalities therein. The result is that proper traction between the endless track and the ground is always obtained. Furthermore, since the stress to which one of the track bearing members is subjected is immediately transmitted in part, to each of the other track-bearing members so that the strain on all of the track-bearing members is equal, shocks and blows which otherwise would occur when the device is passing over any inequalities in the road are largely minimized.

It is, of course evident that the body of fluid may be confined in any suitable manner, and by way of further illustration, I have shown in Figs. 8 and 4 the envelop 37 as being housed within a metallic casing 61, this casing having a plurality of spaced cylinders 62 in its lower wall, in which are adapted to slide pistons 63 carried by stirrups 34a, which in turn are connected to the arms carrying the rollers B. The metallic tube or casing is closed at its opposite ends, and it may be of any suitable cross section.

-The structure shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is similar to that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, but in this instance the stirrup 34h which carries the plate 36h is mounted on the extension of the arms 32h bearing the rollers.

It is to be understood that my invention is susceptible to various modifications and changes which would be within the spirit 'of the invention without departing from the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a propelling mechanism, an endless track, rollers forming a guide rail for said track and adapted to roll thereupon as successive portions thereof are laid upon the ground, a flexible envelop inflated with air, and means for associating said rollers with said envelop so that the air within the same will cause the rollers to bear with equal pressure against the track.

2. In a propelling mechanism, an endless track, track bearing rollers forming a guide rail for the track and adapted to move over the same as successive portions thereof are laid upon the ground, a compressible fluid body, a flexible envelop about said body, a rigid casing housing said flexible envelop, and means for associating said track bearing rollers with said fluid body so that the rollers are maintained resiliently against the track and with equal pressure.

3. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about the frame, track bearing members movably mounted on the frame, a fluid body associated with said track bearing members to cause them to resiliently maintain the track against the ground, means for exerting a downward pressure on said fluid body, and means for vertically adjusting said last mentioned means relative to the chassis of a vehicle.

4. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about the frame, track bearing members pivotally mounted to said frame and adapted to form a guide rail for the lower run of said track, a fluid body associated with said track bearing members, a confining plate for said fluid body, and means for adjusting said configning plate relative to said frame.

5. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about said frame, vertically movable arms carried by said frame, bearing members carried by the lower end of said arms and engaging the lower run of said track, a fluid body, plates bearing against said fluid body and adapted to sink therein, and connections between said plates and said arms.

6. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about said frame, arms pivoted to said frame, rollers rotatably carried by said arms and forming a guide rail for the lower run of said track, a fluid body, plates bearing against said fluid body, and connected between said plate and said arms.

7. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track, a fluid body, arms pivoted to said frame, rollers rotatably carried by said arms and forming a guide rail for said track, members carried by said arms intermediate their ends, and plates carried by said members and engaging against said fluid body so that the fluid body will resiliently urge said rollers against said track.

8. In a propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about said frame, arms pivotally connected to said frame, rollers rotatably carried by said arms and forming a guide rail for the lower' run of said track, stirrups carried by said arms, plates carried by said stirrups, and a compressible fluid body against which said plates bear whereby said rollers are resiliently urged against the lower run of said track.

9. In L propelling mechanism, a frame, an endless track about said frame, arms pivotally connected to said frame, rollers rotatably carried by said arms and forming a guide rail for the lower run of said track, stirrups carried by said arms, plates carried by said stirrups, and a compressible Huid body against which said plates bear whereby said rollers are resiliently urged against the lower run of said track, and means for driving at least one of said rollers so as to impart movement to the mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 20 my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOCELYN EMILE OLLIVIER. Witnesses z GUEUARD ANTOINE, OSCAR GUGELMANN. 

